Who

Paul Taylor is one of America's most famous living choreographers, with the flammable temperament to match.

Backstory

The Pennsylvania native attended Syracuse on scholarships for painting and swimming, before joining the Martha Graham Dance Company. He quickly became a leading soloist at the company and created some of the most artistically important works during the 1950s and '60s, including Duet and Aureole. Taylor worked with Martha Graham until 1962, when he left to focus on his own Paul Taylor Dance Company. Although he retired as a performer in 1975, Taylor remains a towering figure in dance circles and continues to work as a choreographer and mentor to younger talent. He currently runs the SoHo-based Taylor School, where his protégés teach dance to groups of eager wannabes.

Of note

Taylor's masterpieces, known for their examination of the human condition and wit, have been performed by the top dance companies all over the world including the American Ballet Theatre, the Joffrey Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet. Over his long career, he's choreographed more than 90 dances and influenced a generation of performers (such as Twyla Tharp). He also collaborated with artists outside dance over the years, such as painters Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns. And he's made efforts to tour in regions further afield—such as Africa and India—with Taylor 2, a group he founded in 1993. "If Paul Taylor is not the best choreographer to emerge in any style anywhere in the world in the past quarter of a century, who is?" asked the Times of London.

Drama

Taylor is well known for his notoriously ruthless management style. He's admitted to criticizing his dancers for their hair, makeup and weight, and once fired his entire company—some 16 dancers—on Christmas Eve, an event that later became known in the dance community as the "Christmas Massacre." You can see him lash out in the Oscar-nominated documentary about him, Dancemaker. More drama can be found in his 1987 autobiography, Private Domain.

Trophy case

Taylor has received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton, an Emmy, three Guggenheim fellowships, several honorary doctorates, and a MacArthur "genius" grant.

Personal

Given his demanding personality—and his work schedule—it's probably not surprising that Taylor's never managed to settle down. (He alluded to relationships with both sexes in his autobiography.) He lives in a Waverly Place row house with his black labrador named Emma, and his collections of shells and framed bugs. He also has a home in Freeport on Long Island.